NCAA 2015

March Madness

Burke's 3 carries Michigan to OT, upset win over Kansas

By Matt Norlander | College Basketball Writer

March 29, 2013 10:11 PM ET

ARLINGTON, Texas -- What a beauty of an overtime game we all just got here in North Texas. The first game to give us free basketball in this year's NCAA tournament also featured what is probably the shot of the tournament so far, too.

I mean, what is this?

Trey Burke from so far out. What a curve. What guts. What gall. With 4.2 left in the game -- and in!

I'd ask how you get the courage to take that shot, but at that point it was basically a necessity. Michigan had rallied from a 10-point deficit with three minutes to go. It needed one shot. Burke of course was the man who had to take it. He was the best player in the second half/OT for Michigan, scoring 23 in the final 25 minutes of play.

That's what got it to OT. It ended in OT with an 87-85 Michigan victory and what has to be one of the biggest Kansas chokes in school history.

The lead-up to that came off a missed free throw from Johnson, a KU senior who ends his career with a bad taste. Missed shots and a bad turnover with less than a minute to go in overtime sealed this loss for Kansas. This means Michigan is going to its 12th Elite Eight (including the vacated ones), its first since 1994.

Michigan freshman McGary had a career-high 25, two more than Burke's 23. All Burke's points were scored in the second half and overtime. All Michigan starters scored in double digits. The Jayhawks were led by freshman Ben McLemore's 20 points.

What felt like a massive Kansas home game, and was feeling like it would lead to another Kansas NCAA tournament win, ends in heartbreak and another early exit for KU under Bill Self. I'd estimate about 70 percent (at least) of the bodies inside the paid seats at Cowboys Stadium were wearing KU blue.

It got tricky near the end, and unfortunately for KU it was Johnson, who's certainly hurt this team in spots this season, who coughed up the ball three times in the final three minutes.

Michigan didn't get anything -- literally, no points -- from Burke in the first half. Yet he helped salt away the lead, slowly but surely, and then controlled pace and heart rate for UM in the extra five.

Now it's on to Florida vs. Dunk City, the final game of the regional semifinals. Winner gets Michigan on Sunday.